


Faithfully Fated

by Measured_Words



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Friendship, Gen, Prophecy, Sith, Sith Code, Subtext, The Force, The Great Galactic War, The Subtext is Adorable
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-31
Updated: 2014-03-31
Packaged: 2018-01-17 17:09:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 863
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1395895
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Measured_Words/pseuds/Measured_Words
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After Dorajan, Shoa worries about how Usterius is taking her revelation about his fate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Faithfully Fated

Shoa lingered after Usterius had dismissed his officers. Attal was overseeing training exercises for Savan and Monn, and their absence had left her with a brief opportunity to speak to the Dark Lord alone. Currently he was watching out the starport, toying distractedly with the tendrils that hung from his chin.

"My Lord?"

:Yes Shoa?: He answered without turning, speaking to her telepathically and thereby ensuring privacy for their conversation.

She'd long since developed the instinct of repressing the twinge of fear that came every time she let him into her mind. It wasn't Usterius she was afraid of – it was the dark fate that she saw hanging around him like a cloud. Lately it seemed even more of a wall between them, and she desperately wanted to breach it.

:You seem distracted.:

:I have a great deal on my mind.:

:You always do.: She came to stand beside him, telling herself it was only her imagination that he stiffened slightly as she did.

:I've been considering what you told me on Dorajan.:

It had been the first time she'd mentioned what she saw, indistinct though it was, in his future. Considering what else they'd seen that day – the Jedi T'Krahl stripped of his mind and of any connection to the Force, the room full of vats of material that had the potential to do the same to any of them – it had seemed a valid concern, especially given that they'd been about to face down Usterius's mentor, Darth Boss. Despite his disgrace from the council, Boss was a powerful Sith. But they had bested him easily in the end, and the fate she'd warned him of still lingered in Usterius's future. Given his tendency for self-reflection, it was no wonder that he'd been preoccupied. And no wonder that he might be displeased with her, either.

:I was concerned for you.:

He turned and looked at her then, and she felt the weight of his gaze, feeling her out. :Concerned?:

:For as long as I've known you, I've seen this turbulence in your future – this trouble, whatever it may be. I used to be afraid of you because if it, but over time that changed and I became afraid for you. But it remains an indistinct threat. On Dorajan, seeing what Darth Boss and Taun Sei had done to T'Krahl... I let my fears overcome my judgement. I can't tell you anything more. You know I would, if my visions were clearer. But this doesn't serve you.:

While she was speaking, he'd folded his arms behind his back. :The Empire is faring poorly in the war – I would say we all face troubled futures.:

:That may be.: She'd seen deaths in her visions before, of course, and she didn't see the fates of all of her friends and allies, and that was no guarantee of their survival or fortune. She hadn't foreseen Darth Boss's fate.

:But this turbulence, as you put it, only concerns me?:

:I only see it on you:

Shoa could tell he'd been hoping for more reassurance than that, but she wouldn't do him an additional disservice by feeding him misleading placations. He seemed to relax some regardless, returning his gaze to the stars, and she wondered if he was comforted by the idea that the fates of herself and the others were not set. Perhaps it was enough that she'd stayed with him despite her visions.

:The Council would consider me a heretic if they knew what I believed, and of this new path. They don't want another Praven. If the war continues as it is going, my victories will only fuel resentment among the other Dark Lords... And if Taun Sei managed to survive Dorajan, who knows what further mischief he and his perverse research might cause. I can see plenty of sources of potential turbulence in my future even without your gifts.:

Shoa nodded, considering her response. She didn't like this fatalism in him. :What I see for you – it isn't certain. You aren't doomed to succumb to it.:

:Then I will put my faith in the Force, and make what plans I can.: He looked at her again – a quick glance this time, turning his head just enough to see her face. :When I asked you to stay, it was because I wanted to keep you safe.:

It was typical of him, and she shouldn't have been surprised to hear it, though she wasn't so helpless as all that. She smiled. It was no longer despite her concern, but because of it, that she wouldn't leave now. :You surprised me, at the time. But I'm glad I stayed, and I'm not leaving now. You've taken care of me, and Attal, and we won't abandon you. We're stronger together.:

:Through strength, I gain power.:

:Yes,: Shoa agreed, though her favourite line of the Sith code had always been the last – The Force shall free me. The wall she'd felt before seemed to have eroded, and she felt freer now – glad they'd talked, hopeful she'd eased his worries some. Reaching up, she rested her arm on his shoulder, leaning on him slightly, feeling their connection through the Force.

**Author's Note:**

> Characters and situations from a tapletop game... Also I desperately fear that my lack of extended universe immersion is going to get me in trouble, but hey, whatever! Fic! ^-^


End file.
